This site was first put together during the writing of the young adult book Jean-Michel Basquiat: A Biography, (by Eric Fretz, Greenwood Press, 2010), and grew after publication. One of the functions of this site is to supplement that book (i.e. links to on-line illustrations, updates, etc.). But it also pulls together reliable information and sources about the artist, and is the home to an updated blog on new developments in the Basquiat literature, exhibitions, etc. This site does not contain the text of the book, and is not linked to the publisher in any way. Jean-Michel Basquiat (1960 - 1988) has entered the art history books as a major painter of the 1980s, but also emerged as a figure with continued contemporary relevance when the reputation of many of his 1980s colleges has faded. His work retains great interest among collectors, but also continues to be popular and fascinating for young people. His work is constantly finding a new audience, yet there are many myths about him, his life, and his art. This site is based on a critical respect for Basquiat’s work, and the recognized need for accurate information on the artist on the web. If you Google Jean-Michel Basquiat, you will come up with thousands of incomplete and often inaccurate hits, but very little comprehensive information. We created this site in part to remedy that problem. There is some excellent content on the artist’s work at the Brooklyn Museum site, and the recently an “official” site of the Basquiat Estate was established (http://www.basquiat.com), but these still supplement, rather than replace the information here. There is no one site as comprehensive and well funded as the excellent site on Basquiat’s friend and contemporary Keith Haring (www.keithharing.com) operated by Keith Haring Foundation. (See bibliography and links for more information.) We hope that this site can contribute to the serious study of the artist and be interesting for the casual browser. We would be especially happy for this site to be of use to students and young people becoming interested in the artist for the first time.
The site presents information on the artist, critical
appraisal of his art, and researched lists and links to other dependable
sources. The site is new and growing, other elements will be added. As of now,
the site includes:
We aim to be gradually adding to the site, as well as updating the lists of auctions and exhibition and posting to the blog. Any feedback or assistance on the site is appreciated. For comments on this site, or to arrange contact with the author Eric Fretz, email the webmaster Aaron Freitag at aaronfretag@gmail.com. Link to sitemap. http://sites.google.com/site/basquiatbiography/system/app/pages/sitemap/hierarchy Back to Homepage |